MOSCOW, May 23./ITAR-TASS/. Russian troops and military hardware will be completely withdrawn from Russia’s regions adjacent to the Ukrainian border by June 8, Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said at the 3rd Moscow conference on international security on Friday.

He said that Russian units had been returning to their permanent garrisons since May 19.

According to earlier reports, Russian servicemen were to be withdrawn by June 1. “No one has fixed the date of June 1,” Gerasimov said. “It will take about 20 days to transport the hardware.

On May 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to return troops to the barracks after the scheduled spring phase of the military exercise in the Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions.

“The military units are being returned in strict compliance with the initial schedule,” the Defense Ministry said, adding that June 1 was the deadline.

The routes and schedules of motor marches, train runs and flights by transport aircraft were drawn up to cause minimum inconveniences to civilian automobile, railway and air traffic.

The units that have already arrived at their permanent locations are busy with routine equipment maintenance.